How Email Can Ruin Your Job Search

Some people say email may be dead, but it is very much alive – especially for the job hunter. Email can be your best friend or worst enemy depending on how you use it. Here are 10 common ways that abusing email can ruin your chance at getting a job. Let’s take a look:

1. Using a shared email account

You and your spouse might be very close, but don’t use your email to share that with the world. Employers don’t like to email job information to spouses. You can still use your [email protected] address, but set up an individual account for professional job hunting purposes.

2. Tacky email signatures

Many people like to use their email signature to express themselves. Make sure your email does not include political or religious sayings. Also, the long winded inspirational sayings are very unprofessional as well. It is not professional and will turn off prospective employers. And here’s a hint – your friends probably don’t like it either!

3. Weird fonts

The weird font you downloaded for your email may look cool on your computer, but chances are your recipients do not have it so the font defaults to something else. That means it could easily be over or undersized. Also, don’t use fonts like comic sans either. That font is unprofessional and makes you look like a little kid. Stick to plain old Arial or Times New Roman.

Email stationary = tacky. Writing an email is not the same as writing a letter. Don’t use stationary.

5. Firewalls, forms and anti-spam blockers

Everyone hates spam email, but do not make an employer fill out an anti-spam form to send you an email. Chances are they won’t do it.

6. Check your spam folder

Many times email software will filter out legitimate email messages from potential employers because it does not recognize their address. Make sure to check your spam messages daily.

7. Sending a resume and cover letter to multiple addresses
You don’t want to make it look like you’re sending out your resume and cover letter to a bunch of organizations at once. You want to make sure you only send it to one employer at a time because it makes it look like you’re performing a targeted job search.

8. Unprofessional email address

You should know this by now, but never use an unprofessional email address. “Sexy Sara” or “Gangstaboi112” may have been cool in college, but now it’s time for you and your email address to grow up!

No need to format your email like a letter that includes your address and the employer’s address. Doing so makes you look like an email newbie.

10. Using work address

This is common, but make sure if you’re going to use work time to apply for jobs use another email address. Employers will assume you’re going to be doing the same thing to them and not hire you. It’s also very unethical to use your current employers time and resources to apply for jobs.